Kenan Thompson Drops Cryptic Hint About ‘SNL’ Future

The 47-year-old comic, who holds the title of “SNL”’s longest-running forged member with 22 seasons underneath his belt, revealed he has not but signed on for Season 23.

Kenan Thompson’s feedback come amid rising hypothesis about potential forged departures.

Chatting with Page Six on the Reel Works twenty fourth Changemakers Gala on Wednesday, Thompson described the current season finale as “bittersweet” and hinted that important modifications might be on the horizon.

“Particularly this yr, the place it looks like there’s possibly, presumably, loads of change subsequent yr,” he mentioned. “You need everybody to remain perpetually, figuring out that individuals could also be making choices this summer season… it’s all the time such as you need your youngsters to remain younger.”

The finale even poked enjoyable on the rumors, with forged member Sarah Sherman jokingly hinting at an exit and Colin Jost cracking sensible on “Weekend Replace” about presumably taking on Lorne Michaels’ job.

As for Michaels himself, the 80-year-old creator and government producer of the present informed The Hollywood Reporter in 2024 that he has no speedy plans to step down. “So so long as it’s necessary and I might be helpful, I’ll keep,” he mentioned.

Thompson, nevertheless, stays cautious.

Regardless of his seniority and deep roots at “SNL,” he emphasised that nothing is ever sure.

“You simply by no means know what the longer term holds,” he admitted. “I don’t need to be in the best way of another person, or the stale previous man driving the identical factor. That doesn’t actually occur that a lot at ‘SNL,’ however there’s no ensures, I suppose.”

Thompson just isn’t the one forged member to deal with the way forward for the present.

As “Saturday Night time Dwell” wrapped its landmark fiftieth season, Bowen Yang took a second to replicate, each onstage and off, sparking questions on his future with the present. Chatting with Entertainment Weekly, Yang opened up concerning the flood of feelings that hit him that night time.

“I believe you get to a degree at ‘SNL’ the place you perceive that you just’re on the downswing of issues,” he mentioned on the Season 50 finale. “I believe I used to be simply processing that being one of many final ‘final nights’ that I might have, and that could be a large factor.”

Yang went on to explain the annual season finale as a second of emotional launch.

“Each finale at goodnights, one thing leaves my physique as a result of I’m simply relieved from all that occurred in that season, and this was a giant one,” he defined. “We went via lots, so many enjoyable reminiscences. I believe that was most likely what was registering. I used to be identical to, oh, I must savor these moments earlier than I don’t have them anymore.”

When requested immediately whether or not he’ll return for Season 51, Yang sidestepped the query with amusing, replying, “No, we’re not doing that.”